Merge pull request #262 from eteq/add-cycle3

add cycle 3 proposal call

Author: kelle

finance/proposal-calls/cycle3/cycle3.md

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+# Cycle III funding requests and ideas
+
+
+# Changes relative to the previous cycle
+
+This cycle includes funding from both NASA ROSES and Moore Foundation. Process-wise, most of the below is similar to the Cycle II (at the time called “Phase II”), with some additional context and minor practical changes based on how Phase II progressed. The main difference in this cycle is the “hiring process” mentioned below. Specifically, in this cycle **_you can now request funding for a project that you do not necessarily wish to execute yourself, but that you would like Astropy to find someone to do the work._** We hope this will serve both expand our community and get desired work done that our current community does not have the capacity to execute.  
+
+
+# Funding goals
+
+Funding requests (FR) shall improve the Astropy Project. This includes work on code for the core repository, for coordinated or affiliated packages, infrastructure (e.g. testing, CI), tutorials, workshops, notebooks, community engagement, inclusion, diversity and empowerment, and anything else broadly Project related.
+
+FRs shall foster the Astropy Project goals of community, shared work, and cooperation and shall be described, reviewed, and executed in this manner.
+
+FRs need to clearly identify how the the funding will be used (e.g. "pay $YYY (US) to add Klingon Standard Time to astropy.time" or "organize astropy workshop to engage amateur astronomer community in Antarctica")
+
+
+# Funding amount
+
+We anticipate a maximum of **$400k** (US) to be available for this funding cycle. This is significantly larger than previous cycles. This means that approved funding requests in this cycle may be limited more by the available time of current community members rather than by the amount of funding available.  We therefore urge the community to **aim high**, either by ambitious and/or expensive proposals for their own work, or by bringing in new members via the “open hire” process that is new in this cycle (outlined below).
+
+
+# What can the funding be used for?
+
+Money can be used for travel, subscriptions, etc, in addition to direct financial support to  individuals.
+
+The funds come from two grants: a [Moore Foundation Data-Driven Discovery Grant](https://www.moore.org/grant-detail?grantId=GBMF8435) and a NASA ROSES grant.
+
+
+
+* Both grants include funds for basic maintenance and development on all aspects of the Project. 
+* The Moore grant has a focus on mentoring and spectroscopy, 
+* The NASA grant has a focus on support for project-wide infrastructure, affiliated packages, and Learn.
+
+The Finance Committee assumes responsibility for ensuring that all awards made are consistent with any applicable funding agency rules.
+
+
+# Funding Request process
+
+Funding Requests (FRs) should be posted as pull requests to https://github.com/astropy/astropy-project/ with the initial title text "Phase 3 Funding:". The goal is to make this process as easy as possible for everyone, so we impose a limit of 100 lines assuming 80 char/line. We provide a template below. Please place the file with your FR at https://github.com/astropy/astropy-project/tree/main/finance/proposal-calls/cycle3 (the same location as the template).
+
+We envision a two stage FR process to enable the community to discuss and improve ideas, teams with similar ideas to merge, etc.
+
+
+
+* July 8: **_Draft_** FR Deadline (new requests after this date will not be reviewed this cycle)
+* Six week iteration and discussion period during which draft FRs can be fleshed out and modified
+* Aug 19: Finalized FRs are due
+* Finance Committee reviews for compatibility with legal conditions
+* Aug 29: voting begins.
+
+We aim to achieve broad consensus before the vote. Requesters are encouraged to combine ideas and teams, modify, or withdraw FRs during the discussion period as appropriate.
+
+At the second deadline, the text for the FRs is frozen but comments are still welcome. Discussion is open to anyone; it is not restricted to voting members. Within 7 business days of this deadline, the Finance Committee will review all requests to ensure they are compatible with the terms of the currently available funding sources and should be included in the FRs to be voted on.
+
+After that, voting members of the Astropy Project (as of the start of the vote) vote on the FRs using thumbs up/down on a dedicated comment.  Every voting member of the Astropy Project has equal voting rights.
+
+The Coordination and Finance Committees will select FRs following the ranking by the members, taking into account the discussion, available effort level to implement, and any restrictions associated with the available funds.
+
+
+# Fostering constructive discussion
+
+We want to stay true to the "radical transparency" ethos of the Project and thus we are asking the community to comment on these funding requests publicly. At the same time, we want to ensure that the conversations stay as constructive as possible to foster the Astropy Project’s commitment to maintaining a positive and welcoming culture. Thus, here we provide some example language that might help commenters stay constructive with their comments.
+
+Example of non-constructive comments are:
+
+* “This is not worth our time.”
+* “Person X has never really done anything that I think is good.”
+
+Examples of constructive comments are:
+
+
+
+* “This is probably not a good way to spend Project funds because package abc already provides the same functionality.”
+* “It's not clear to me the value that this would bring to the Project. Do the proposers have a way of assessing impact?"
+* “I’m concerned the project team does not have the necessary skills to get this done. Can the team offer more proof of expertise, or bring in help from team members who have more relevant expertise?"
+
+If you are worried about your comments being perceived as inappropriate, you are welcome to send your feedback directly to the Finance Committee at [email protected] or ask on Slack. You are also welcome to use the “thumbs down” vote without adding comments. If you have any concerns about this process and the ensuing discussion that you would prefer to discuss privately, contact the ombudsperson at [email protected].
+
+
+# Open hire process
+
+New in Cycle III, FRs can include an “open hire” process to identify people to undertake the activities described. Should such a request be accepted, the Finance Committee will organize a recruitment process to find the right person (or people) to carry out the work. Members of the FR team will be asked to assist in the recruitment and hiring process. The number of open hire requests selected may be limited by Finance Committee staffing availability.
+
+We envision a recruitment process that expands beyond the US Astronomy community and would include the various Research Software Engineering forums in addition to the AAS Job Register. To further help with recruitment, we may partner with [Quansight](https://www.quansight.com/open-source-support), a consulting firm with expertise in the open source scientific python ecosystem. The exact details and scope of this depend on how many proposals in this Cycle are open hire requests.
+
+
+# Template and examples
+
+The following is a template proposal: [template.md](template.md). We also include an [example](example_draft_FR.md) that is an acceptable **Draft** FR (due July 8) to emphasize that drafts can include minimal information and are meant to be fleshed out and modified based on feedback before the final deadline (Aug 19). You can also refer to successful Cycle II **Finalized** FRs at [this link](https://github.com/astropy/astropy-project/tree/main/finance/proposal-calls/2021-proposal).

finance/proposal-calls/cycle3/example_draft_FR.md

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+### Title
+Select a Foobar person
+
+### Project Team
+This is an open hire
+
+### Project Description
+I think we should hire someone to work on Foobar. Details TBD. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
+
+### Approximate Budget
+Roughly 5000 USD

finance/proposal-calls/cycle3/template.md

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+### Title
+
+### Project Team
+Describe who is expected to work on the project. If work will be undertaken by an open hire instead of (or in addition to) other project members, please indicate that here.
+
+### Project Description
+How does this benefit Astropy packages / users / community / ...? Short summary.
+
+### Project / Work
+Details here as needed for Astropy community members to understand what is planned.
+
+### Approximate Budget
+Currency: US $
+The approximate budget should be specified in USD. However, we are open to spending funds worldwide. Budgets should be converted to USD using a plausible exchange rate.
+
+Include overheads, fringe, etc. if money is paid as sub-grant (note that the Moore grant caps overhead at 15%).
+
+- Travel:
+- Conference Registrations:
+- Salary / contractor fees etc. (give sum here, details about contract, payment method (contract/sub-award) etc. can be worked out with the finance committee later)
+- TOTAL
+
+Please note that we would happily accept budget items other than travel, conference registration, and staff.